Geography of Deaths Pursued or in Police Custody 2000-2022
November 14, 2023 - University of California GIS Week
History of Killing
The use of law enforcement to suppress, subjugate and kill indigenous, Black, Asian and Latino populations has been a frequent practice of the United States since it's origins.
Spurred on by racial resentment the reporting of these hate crimes by white mobs, many with the tacit support of local law enforcement, have been lost to history or minimally reported by local news media at the time. This study will focus on analyzing the circumstances of these deaths, cause, location, data, race, ethnicity and gender. Geographic summary levels include state, county, place/cde, census tract and the reported geocoded XY for each death.
The goal of the Raza Database Project at CSU San Bernardino is to enhance the work already being done on this subject. Key to the success of this effort is merging into one file information from four of the major open source datasets already collecting information on individuals killed by police.
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Accurate Data Limited
Information about individuals who have died in police custody is not generally available from the Federal Government Department of Justice or most state and local law enforcement and public health agencies. While sources such as CDC NVDRS Restricted Access Database (RAD) do collect specific information on deaths, significant constraints are placed on who can access these data under the guise of the confidentiality of the victims, suspects and law enforcement officers involved.
Moved by the the lack of official data, yet the growing demand for police accountability, a growing number of individuals, universities and other public interest groups have taken it upon themselves to create open source databases detailing police deadly use of force.
The Raza Database project acknowledges and thanks all previous efforts documenting these difficult events. These sources incude:
Created by journalist D. Brian Burghart, Fatal Encounters is a self funded initiative that has become the standard for open source information on officer-involved deaths.
Data exist from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2021. There have been no updates to this data set since. From 200-2021 FE reported 31,497 fatal deaths of individuals in police custody.
Note challenges with some names, race and addresses of individuals.
Beginning in 2015 the Washington Post began investigating the circumstances of people who died by police shootings. The site has continued to collect incidences and as of June 27, 2023 reported 8,564 deaths.
Washington Post Fatal Forces
Tthe newspaper has continued to collected and make publicly available database of police shootings via it's Fatal Forces GIThub site.
Similar to Fatal Encounters note issues with data including victim names, age, gender, race/ethnicity and location.
KBP Police Shootings and Crime Database
KBP similarly collected information on deaths by deadly force. This site operated from 2013-2020 and now appears to have stopped updating it's counts.
As of 2020 the site recorded deaths of 8,682 individuals.
KBP Police Shooting Database
KBP provided less detail than other sources but complemented the data provided by links to local media.
Mapping Police Violence (MPV)
Established in 2015 MPV is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and independent research collaborative, it collects nationwide data to quantify the impact of police violence on communities.
MPV Data Issues Remain
For it's impressive display of available information issues of missing information, particularly race/ethnicity continue to plague this data source.
Raza Database Project
From large city, to rural towns, thousands of communities nationwide have experienced a police officer use of deadly force incidents. In addition to the victims' of police violence hundreds of thousands of familys live with the trauma of knowing the police killed someone they loved.
The Police Use of Excessive Force Raza Database Project at CSU San Bernardino estimates that between the years 2000-2020 there were 33,080 deaths of individuals at the hands of police.
This project recognizes the work of others to collect and catalog instances of police use of deadly force. In addition establishin a baseline eastimate of the count of people killed by police, a significant effort has been made to assign the accurate location of these killings and address the issue of incomplete or incorrect report of race/ethnicity of these individuals. Additionally, additional demographic and circumstances of these eaths have been summarized from available information.
This work is not a complete project. It is our hope that by building on what is already known of the of individuals at the hands of police, changes in police policies will lead to a reduction in this unique trend of the high count of police killings in the country.
Reported Police Killings Increase
The count of 33,080 deaths at the hands of police comes from the aggregation of reporting from the four major data sources noted above.
Reported figures have steadily grown from 865 in 2000 to a high of 2,148 in 2020. The 2022 figure of 1,305 is probably a low figure given retirements of @fatalencounters and kbp RobarGuns police shooting database as a sources of information.
Rate Of Killings Similarities To National Race/Ethnic Distributions
By ethnic group, the rates of deaths of individuals by police among Latinos, Native Americans and Asian Pacific Islander are comperable to their rates of the 2020 Census Population.
The rate of deaths to Non-Latino Blacks, 24 percent was double their rate of the US population at 12 percent. Significant is that while Non-Latino Whites were over 58 percent the total population they comprise less than one-half (49 percent) of total deaths.
Median Age Varies By Race/Ethnicity
The median age of individuals killed by police is about 33 years of age. There is however significant differnce in median age by race/ethnicity.
The median age of Latinos, Non-Blacks and Non-Latino Native Americans is lower at 30 and 31 years. For Non-Latino Whites the rate is higher at over 36 years, while Non-Latino Asian/Pacific Islander and Other/Multi race populations both average 33 years.
Cause of Death - Unresolved
While documentation of deaths from police gunfire is fairly well documented from other sources. Over 1/3 of results in Raza Database are missing a definative cause of death.
Weapons - Missing Result
With few exceptions it was uncertain in nearly 2/3rds of deaths by police if the individual had a weapon. About 30 percent reported a firearm 2 percent a vehicle and about 8 percent an edge weapon or other object.
Say Their Names
While a select high profile deaths by police use of deadly force get notoriety and media news coverage. The vast majority of the 33,080 killings in Raza Database get hardly noticed.
-Ruben Salazar
Salazar was killed during the National Chicano Moratorium March against the Vietnam War on August 29, 1970, in East Los Angeles, California . He was a news reporter and columnist for the Los Angeles Times from 1959 to 1970. Then became news director for Spanish Language television station KMEX.
Support for Chicano movement
Salazar's strong support for the Chicano movement as a Mexican-American distinguished him early on from other journalists in mainstream media . With a strong disparity of racial minorities in news organizations nationwide, Salazar felt it was his personal and professional responsibility to give necessary attention to the actions led by his fellow Chicanos in East Los Angeles .
-Breonna Taylor
Killed March 13, 2020 in her apartment. Louisville, Kentucky
Breonna Taylor , a 26-year-old black woman, emergency room technician, was fatally shot in her Louisville, Kentucky apartment on March 13,2020.
The killing of Taylor by white police officers, and the initial lack of charges for her death, led to nationwide protest against police brutality and racism
In announcing the results of his investigation, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said the two officers had been "justified to protect themselves and the justification bars us from pursuing criminal charges".
-Francisco Serna
Killed December 12, 2016 while walking in his neighborhood. Bakersfield California
Unarmed 73 year old Francisco Serna and suffering from dimensia was shot by Bakersfield Police Department officers as he was taking a walk in his suburban Bakersfield neighborhood.
Police Chief Lyle Martin called the death of Francisco Serna "unfortunate" and "tragic". But he said he found the actions of the officer who fired justifiable under the law given, since police were mistakenly told by area residents that Serna was armed with a revolver. He was carrying a wood crucifix.
Sarna's killing on December 12, the day of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, is revered by Mexicans as among the holiest days of the year.
-Michael Brown
Killed August 9, 2014 on streets of Ferguson, Missoru.
18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014. Protests and riots ensue in Ferguson and soon spread across the country.
Wilson shot Brown, who was not armed, after a struggle ensued when Wilson stopped Brown on a Ferguson street. Witnesses at the time said the officer fired his gun while Brown’s hands were in the air.
Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell and a grand jury declined to indict Wilson.
-David Silva
Beaten to death by Kern County Sheriffs on May, 8, 2013
Experiencing a mental health crisis after being denied services at Kern Medical Center, an intoxicated David Silva was beaten to death by seven police officers from Kern County Sheriffs and two from California Highway Patrol.
David Silva reportedly died from asphyxiation, he was beaten with batons, bitten by police canine, and after a series of control holds and chest compressions hogtied on the street. No charges were brought against any of the police officers involved.
-Ashley Babbitt
Killed January 6, 2021 US Capital Police
Ashli Babbitt from San Diego was shot by U.S. Capitol Police on January 6, 2021.
Babbitt was killed as she tried to climb through a window near the House chamber as Capital police were protecting members of Congress. Congress was in session to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election that Joe Biden had won over President Donald Trump.
Babbitt was one of the thousands of a Trump MAGA rioters that, having broken past police barriers, invaded the US Capital and were poised to enter the House Chamber where Vice President Pence and members of Congress were meeting to finalize the counts of the 2020 presidental election.
-George Floyd
Killed on May 25, 2020 by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin who knelt on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.
Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Floyd grew up in Houston, Texas. In 2014, he moved to the Minneapolis area, residing in the nearby suburb of St. Louis Park, and worked as a truck driver and bouncer. In 2020, he lost his job as a truck driver, and then his security job during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Having led a troubled life of poverty, hardships and setbacks. He served in prison for charges that included aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, identy thief, drug possession. Never-the-less he also was involved with a ministry that brought men from the Third Ward to Minnesota in a church-work program with drug rehabilitation and job placement services.
On May 25, 2020, police were called by a Cup Foods grocery store employee who suspected that Floyd had used a counterfeit $20 bill. Floyd was sitting in a car with two other passengers. Police officers forcibly removed Floyd from the car and handcuffed him.
Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, who pressed his knee to Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds while Floyd was handcuffed face down in the street.
The entire interaction was recorded on video by community residents. His dying words, " I can't breathe ", became a rallying slogan. According to a 2020 report by The New York Times , the phrase has been used by over 70 people who died in police custody.
Race/Ethnicity
Latino
The Latino population of the US in 2020 was approximately 18.7 percent of the total. The number Latino deaths approximately 6,500 was nearly 20 percent (19.6%) of all deaths at the hands of police between 2000-2020.
Latino origin was assigned to missing ethnicity from reporting sources by comparing surnames to US Census Frequently Occurring Surnames from the 2010 Census file of over 162,000 surnames list.
Use of Census Surname list increased by nearly 2,000 count of Latinos killed by police.
Black
The Black non-Latino population of the US in 2020 was approximately 12 percent of the total. The number Black deaths by police between 2000-2020 numbered over 8,100 and were double (24.3%) or about one-quarter the total numbered killed between this time period.
Asian
The deaths of Asians numbered approximately 2,000 between 2000-2020 and represent about 6 percent of total deaths. This figure parallels the 2020 Non-Latino Asian population of 5.92 percent.
Native
Indigenous people comprised less than 1 percent of the 2020 US population. The count of deaths of Native peoples, approximately 350 people is proportional to the general population.
White
Numbering over 16,000, Non-Latino Whites comprise nearly 50 percent of all reported deaths by police beween 2000-2020.
This figure is however lower by nearly 10 percent their population in the US of nearly 58 percent.
Mode, Cause of Death, Other Circumstances Are Less Reliable
Gunshot
While the counts of deaths is higheer population states of California, Texas, Florida, Georgia and others.
The reported rate of death by gunshot is highest in the western and mountain states of Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
Deadly Force
Together, over two-thirds of deaths to individuals from Gunshot or other Deadly Force were in Western (excluding California) and Mountain states, with Arizona and the District of Columbia reporting over three-quarters (75%) of deaths in the most violent ways.
Suicide
Reported deaths by suicide had a distinctly Eastern and Mid-Western geography.
Nebraska suicide as a cause of death in over one-quarter (25.8%) of deaths involving police. This was followed by Pennsylvalia (19.7%) and Kansas (19.3%)
Mental Health
A common point made by politicians and others is that much of the violence in America is caused due to mental health issues.
Two-thirds (66%) of reported data, with seemingly little geographic variation, show this not to be the case. In addition, 15 states have rates over three-quarters (75%) of police fatal force deaths not involving a person with mental health issues.
Fleeing from police
Across the board, and with no discernable variation in geography, the vast majority (80%) of individuals killed by police were not attempting to flee.
Firearm
Nationwide about 30 percent of deaths of individuals at the hands of police involved a firearm as a weapon.
And while small in number, rates over 35 percent where from rural, midwestern and mountain states and communities from New Hampsire, Wyoming to Arizona.
Where Is The Outrage?
Deaths to individuals by police violence have occured in relatively few places. This is true for both the majority Latino, Black and other communities of color.
At Census Tract geography the vast majority of the population has experienced zero or at most 1 death between the years 2000-2022.
Only 813 out of 85,558 nationwise have had 3 or more incidences of police killings.
Those People
Nearly one half (49.3%) of Census Tracts (representing 19.1%) police use of force deaths have experienced only 1 death in the past 22 years.
Census Tracts with 3 or more deaths (813) represent about 1 percent of total tracts but 12.8% of total deaths.
A total of 8.4 percent of the US population live in Census Tracts where 2 or more deaths have occured. In comparision 12.5 percent Latino, and 12.9 percent Non-Latino Black live in these Census Tracts. Relativly smaller 6.5 percent of Non-Latino whites have had multiple police killings in their communities.
Police Substations
While the vast majority of police departments have had zero or at most 1 police use of deadly force incident.
Those that have can count on a significant number of these events.
"Those People"
David Silva was killed on the corner of Flower and Palm. Of course that's where you would expect these things to occur.
"These things do not occur in my neighborhood."
Considerations
- The deaths of 33,080 and counting of people killed by police violence is an unpresidented in a modern industrialized, democratic society.
- Blacks are killed at a rate that exceeds their rate of the total population.
- Deaths by age by race/ethnicity show Latino, Black and Native American killed at median age 30 and 31, while NL-White killed are median age 36 or higher.
- Because of a lack of uniform data collection and reporting system, perhaps with the exception of gun deaths, causes of death to individuals killed is greatly misreported.
